


Dream for an Insomniac

by cherryvanilla



Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Social Network (2010) RPF
Genre: Filming, Getting Together, Insomnia, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 23:36:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30063297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryvanilla/pseuds/cherryvanilla
Summary: The Social Network shoot was different than any he’d been on, beginning with the hundreds of takes and ending with him sharing a house with his co-star.
Relationships: Andrew Garfield/Simon Amstell (past), Jesse Eisenberg/Andrew Garfield
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8
Collections: The Prompt Network





	Dream for an Insomniac

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for TPN “insomnia”, and _very_ adjacently “lovers to enemies” (but only based on one line so it probably doesn’t count, and not related to either listed pairing because they’re sunshine and rainbows). 
> 
> (Do I get extra points for being an insomniac writing about insomnia?) 
> 
> Here’s a graphic: 
> 
>   
> 

Andrew is normally a sound sleeper. By this point he’s well gotten used to sleeping in trailers or hotels while filming or promoting. The comfort of his own bed is far more foreign than any of his makeshift places of residence, especially since he has no idea where or what he calls home anymore. 

The Social Network shoot was different than any he’d been on, beginning with the hundreds of takes and ending with him sharing a house with his co-star. 

It’s been comfortable, easy. It’s possible Andrew has felt more at home in this two bedroom ranch with Jesse than he has — well, anywhere, and that’s also why it’s terrifying. It’s thoughts like these that have him up at 2am, when there’s already a 6am call time. He hasn’t had trouble sleeping before this, is always comforted by the fact that Jesse is right down the hall. But things will be changing. Soon they’ll be leaving Boston, heading to L.A. where they won’t be sharing a house, where they’ll film the Facebook office scenes and the depositions and it will be the beginning of the end for both Mark and Eduardo and Andrew and Jesse. 

Andrew really hadn’t anticipated falling head over heels for his co-star the moment he met him. Sure, he’d seen Jesse in movies and — once cast — had joked with his ex that they looked alike. 

“Better not fall for him or you’ll do my head in with this let’s just be friends business,” Simon had said, laughing. Andrew new he was partly serious, though, like most comedians are. 

Except he went and did exactly that, and then had a hour long breakdown to Simon on the phone about it, who told him to get a hold of himself and “just do some bloody mushrooms, you’ll feel better. And that’s why he adores Simon. They hadn’t been a love match, though. The similarities between Simon and Jesse stopped at curly hair, glasses, and dry, self-deprecating humor. Jesse was a bit more vulnerable, a bit softer, and Andrew had a pretty much full blown crush by the end of the table read. 

For a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, Andrew feels he’s done a pretty good job at not having Jesse run for the hills. They get on fabulously and by the time Halloween in Baltimore happened — with Jesse doing an Australian accent the entire night just because it made Andrew laugh — Andrew was pretty damn confident his crush was indeed love. 

That a little over a month ago now. Every day he thinks about kissing Jesse and every day he tells himself he’ll destroy everything if he did. 

The insomnia began once David announced the official date that they were heading to L.A. Only about a month of their time in Boston had been actually spent shooting. The rest had all been prep, principal photography and getting to know each other. David felt it would be more authentic to have them both immerse themselves in both the roles and each other. 

It had worked; they listened to Jesse’s records together and went to music shops to buy stuff that wasn’t just musicals; they bonded over their love for theatre; they cooked dinner together. And now all that was ending. 

On their days off, Andrew and Jesse begin packing their stuff. Some things they’ll take to L.A., others Jesse will ship back to New York, like his record player and million books. Andrew already mourns the comfortable space they’d made together, hates seeing it filled up with boxes. He tosses and turns the entire last week that they’re in the house, thinks of heading down the hall to Jesse’s room, standing outside it with a boombox queued up to the Fantastiks as a profession of love. 

Except he doesn’t and off to L.A. they head.  
____________________

“This is weird,” Jesse says, dropping his bags on hotel room bed. 

“That it is,” Andrew replies, going for light and most likely failing. He has his own room, right next to Jesse’s, despite also having his own place here. Andrew bought it with one of his first paychecks. It still feels vaguely uncomfortable and privileged to own a place he rarely lives in. He balances out his guilt by giving a lot of money to charities. 

“Like the bubble has popped,” Jesse is saying now and Andrew holds in a sigh, lest he just start crying now. Tomorrow they film the laptop scene, and it hasn’t been too hard to channel Eduardo’s anger heartbreak. He’s told both David and Jesse that he views the entire thing like a breakup. 

Jesse had gotten a little flustered at that, and Andrew had immediately hoped this lovely human wasn’t secretly a homophobe. His fears had been quelled the more they’d gone through their character sketches and beat analysis. 

(“Kind of like a would-be-lovers turned enemies thing.” 

Andrew’s eyes had widened at that. “Um, yeah. Kind of.”

Jesse chewed his lips, studying him. “The bathroom blowjobs are definitely latently homosexual.”

Andrew had thrown his head back in laughter. “I adore your expert analysis.”

Jesse had shrugged. “I might know a thing or two about latent homosexuality.”

And that’s when Andrew had nearly swallowed his tongue.)

It hadn’t mattered, though. It didn’t mean anything in the long run. They were friends and just because they both apparently kissed boys didn’t mean they had to kiss each other. 

“I miss our place,” Andrew admits, staring at the edge of Jesse’s bed. 

Jesse hums. “I’d gotten used to the routine.” 

“Yes.” Their eyes meet and Andrew’s heart leaps into his throat. Jesse’s gaze is open and vulnerable, and Andrew has no idea what to do with it. 

“I should get some rest,” he says, and Jesse nods. 

Only one of them knows that no real rest is to be had.  
____________________ 

They’re doing an overnight shoot and Andrew has to break a laptop twenty five times and pour is god damn guts out and it’s so much, too much. They’d rehearsed it so many times with Andrew in his hoodie and cargo pants (feeling more like Mark than Eduardo or even himself) that when it came time to don and suit and put on Eduardo’s voice he finds he’s barely holding on. He feels wild, out of control and by the end of it all, when cut is called, he’s still Eduardo, doesn’t like himself anymore.

He apologies to the crew, and heads off set to change. He takes a few deep breaths, reminds himself this isn’t real, this didn’t actually happen to him. David catches up with Andrew, praises him. Asks him if he wouldn’t mind doing something. 

Andrew had heard rumors about this, the whole “method acting in the form of mostly harmless abuse” that Fincher often did.

“Erm, if you... if you think that would help?” 

“I do,” he says cheerfully, clapping Andrew on the shoulder. “You’re too nice, I can tell the thought is already eating you up.”

Andrew laughs uncomfortably, scratches the back of his head. “Yeah, no, I’ll. It’s fine.”

So he does, crouching behind Jesse and whispering in his ear that he’s a fucking dick, that he betrayed his best friend, that he should live with that. 

He feels Jesse’s sharp inhale, can smell the shampoo he uses that’s become like second nature to Andrew, can feel his body tense and then relax. 

He wants to say something else, like “you’re going to murder it” or “you’re brilliant” or “fuck, I’m in love with you” but that would defeat the purpose so instead he leaves. 

It’s odd to head back to the hotel alone and not in their rental car together. 

His acute insomnia isn’t being helped by the fact that they’re doing night shoots. He tries to sleep when he gets in and can’t. He hears Jesse’s door opening and closing around seven. 

Andrew smiles into his pillow, feeling better that Jesse is around. Two hours later he's still awake  
and pulls out his phone. 

_Are you awake? Sorry about earlier. It was probably a shock. David’s brainstorm._

Another text, right after. 

_if you weren’t awake and these messages woke you you best not tell me, I’m already feeling guilty_

It’s only a few seconds before his phone buzzes. 

_Andrew, just come over here_

“Fuck.” 

Andrew bolts upright, runs his hands through his hair. He’s in his t-shirt and boxers and should probably put on more, but he also doesn’t want to. 

He checks himself in the mirror before sneaking out of his room and knocking on Jesse’s like this is some sort of illicit affair and not two friends hanging out in a hotel room at 9am. 

Jesse opens the door, wearing attire similar to Andrew’s, thank god. 

Andrew pointedly keeps his gaze on Jesse’s face, smiling shyly. “Hullo.”

“Hi,” Jesse smiles back. He steps back and Andrew steps inside. His bed is rumbled and Andrew wants nothing more than to be in it. 

“Don’t be upset. You got me in the headspace I needed to be in.”

Andrew nods, rubbing at the back of his neck. “How’d it go?” 

“Twenty-five takes of business cards.” 

They both laugh, shaking their heads. “I’m beat,” Jesse says, yawning. “But I can’t sleep.”

“Me neither,” Andrew admits. It’s awkward, standing in the middle of this room, hands at their sides like they don’t know how to navigate one another. He pauses before adding, “Been having a hard time of it since before leaving Boston.” 

“Huh. Me too.”

Andrew’s heart trips in his chest and feels emboldened. Maybe because of the scene he finished tonight. Maybe because of the way Jesse is looking at him, a little lost, chewing on his lip in that way that drives Andrew mad. 

“Jesse,” Andrew says, taking one, two steps closer. “I — I like you so, so much.”

Jesse releases his lip, exhaling. “Good. Um. I like you, too.”

He stops when they’re right next to each other, reaching out to tentatively grasp Jesse’s hand, tipping his face in close. “I more than like you,” he whispers, like the secret it no longer is. His stomach rolls. 

“Oh.”

Andrew laughs, a little hysterically. But then Jesse is squeezing his hand, and bringing their foreheads in to touch. “Good. That’s — good.”

His heart thunders in his chest. “I’m not very good with change.”

“Me neither, obviously. But this — I think I’d be okay with this change.”

Andrew is smiling as their lips meet, slow and careful. After a moment it deepens, awakening every feeling he’s had since first meeting Jesse. Andrew pours everything he has into it and by the time they break apart they’re both breathing hard. 

“Okay, then,” Jesse says, too breathless to be dry. 

Andrew laughs again. “Indeed.” 

By unspoken agreement they move to the bed, climbing under crisp hotel sheets. They kiss some more, a lazy exploration, one Andrew knows he’ll never tire of. The kisses trail off, fading under a blanket of sleep, long since deprived. 

Andrew’s last thought before slumber finds him is that perhaps Boston, L.A., Maryland; all the locations and all the journeys this shoot has taken him on were all superficial. Perhaps home has always been where Jesse is.

End

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sure I got some of the filming timeline wrong and this time I couldn’t do my obsessive research, lest it joss this whole thing. Some filming details taken from Empire’s shooting account [here](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/the-social-network-original-empire-feature/)


End file.
